Maurice
by Danja
Summary: Faisal's brother comes to Florida seeking revenge. Sequel to "I Wish". FINAL CHAPTER UP! R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Maurice**

**Chapter One**

A/N: This is a sequel to my earlier story, "I Wish". I would suggest you read that one before reading this one.

* * *

**MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT**

"Jamaica Airlines Flight 148-B now arriving at Gate 34D", intoned the feminine voice over the PA system.

A tall, lean, bald-headed man with dark brown skin exited the gate. He was in his early thirties and wore white tennis shoes, navy blue sweat pants with white pinstripes, and a white T-shirt.

* * *

At the baggage carousel, he plucked a wheeled black plastic suitcase and a black duffel bag off the conveyor belt.

"Andrew Hamilton, I presume?" cooed a feminine voice nearby.

Andrew set the suitcase down, pulled out its handle, and turned towards the voice. A petite dark-haired woman in her mid-fifties (at least, she sought to project the outward appearance of being as such) stood next to him. She had emerald-green eyes and was wearing white pumps, a white skirt, and a green tank top trimmed with white straps.

"Who are you? Who wants to know?" Andrew inquired. He spoke with a thick Jamaican accent.

Jeannie II smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling. "I ... am Jeannie," she said. "I can help you."

Andrew ignored her and walked away, wheeled suitcase in tow. "Not interested," he said.

* * *

_Stupid woman,_ Andrew thought as he sat in the backseat of the cab. _A total stranger ... thinking she can help_ ME.

_What can she_ POSSIBLY_ do for_ ME?

* * *

Andrew entered the hotel room, towing his wheeled suitcase behind him. The room was sparse, cheap, and utilitarian ... just the way he liked them. All the better to slip into a city unnoticed.

He'd stayed in rooms just like it in cities all over the world - London, New York, Bangkok ... wherever his business took him.

"Nice place," said a familiar feminine voice next to him.

Andrew wheeled around, turning to face the voice. Jeannie II was standing in his hotel room, right next to him.

"_YOU!_" Andrew exclaimed as he faced Jeannie II. "The woman from the airport!"

"The very same," Jeannie II replied with a girlish smirk. She then added, "My name is Jeannie, by the way."

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Andrew snapped. He then turned around and began walking away. "I'm calling security ..."

Jeannie II folded her arms and blinked. At at once, Andrew found himself trapped inside an enchanted invisible box!

Andrew turned back towards Jeannie II. _Who_ IS _this woman?_ he thought, an expression of fear now on his face.

"I know all about you, Andrew," said Jeannie II, her demeanor now turning serious. She then clicked her tongue against her teeth and added, "Or should I say ... _Maurice._"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

"What can you do for me?" Maurice asked.

"I can give you the one thing you want more than anything else in the world," said Jeannie II.

"And that is … ?"

"Revenge," Jeannie II replied. "That is why you are in Florida, is it not?"

"I am here on a business trip," Maurice shot back.

"Let us … 'cut to the chase', shall we say," Jeannie II retorted. "Your … _business_, such as it is … is the same as your brother's. Namely, drugs." She then added, "Specifically … _ILLEGAL _drugs."

Jeannie II went on. "Your name is Maurice St. Gregory. You and your brother, one Faisal St. Gregory, used to run drugs together between here, Jamaica, and a good portion of the Caribbean.

"Wealthy man, your brother was." Jeannie II paused for effect and then added, "Emphasis on the word _WAS_."

"You know what happened to him?" Maurice inquired.

"I do not _REALLY _have to tell you now, do I? Seems the poor guy got himself committed to the Florida State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He kept mentioning something about 'genies' at the trial."

" 'Genies'," mused Maurice. "You mean Barbara Eden, Robin Williams, and all like that?"

Jeannie II sniffed. "Pale imitations," she said with a snort. "Rank amateurs, all."

"You seem to know a great deal about me," said Maurice. "How do I know you're not a cop?"

"Can a cop do THIS?" With that, Jeannie II folded her arms in front of her chest and blinked. The very next instant, she and Maurice were standing on top of a sand dune in the middle of the Sahara desert.

* * *

_This is madness, _Maurice thought, taking in the scene around him. He and Jeannie II were surrounded by miles and miles of nothing but sand dunes and endless desert.

Sand. So … Much … Sand.

"Who are you?" Maurice asked Jeannie II in thickly-accented English. "_WHAT_ are you?"

"What I have been all along," Jeannie II replied. "A genie."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

The broiling Florida sun beat down upon the green chalk-lined soccer field. It was Thursday afternoon varsity soccer practice at Cocoa High School. Figures in gold and black raced up and down and down the field. The air was filled with a cacophony of grunts and cries of "I'm open!" and "Set it up!"

Tony Jr., aged 17, was almost the spitting image of his astronaut father. His 6'1" frame was athletic yet muscular; his hair was short and wavy-brown.

Today, he was playing defense and wearing a gold uniform trimmed with black stripes (offense was wearing the away uniforms - black shirts trimmed with gold stripes). He darted to and fro up and down the field, passing, kicking, and dribbling all the way.

Tony Jr., maneuvered the ball into position for a goal shot. Just as he was about to take the shot, he vanished. Without anyone behind it to kick it, the ball suddenly rolled to a stop right in the middle of the field.

Neither the coach nor the other players could believe what they had just seen.

* * *

"Sister!" Jeannie called out to the air. She was standing in her kitchen at home. "_SISTER!_"

Jeannie II suddenly appeared before her. "You rang?" she asked with a smirk.

"Where is Anthony?" Jeannie demanded.

"Is he not in space?" Jeannie II replied coyly.

"You know _VERY _well as to which Anthony I am referring," Jeannie shot back.

"Oh, you mean Tony _JUNIOR!_" Jeannie II exclaimed, feigning surprise. "I am sorry, dear sister, but I have not seen him."

"You are lying," said Jeannie.

"Prove it …"

"I have just received a call from the soccer coach at Anthony's school," said Jeannie. "He said that Anthony disappeared into thin air right in the middle of practice."

"Really, now ..."

"Where _IS_ he?" Jeannie interrogated.

"Surely you do not think that _I_ had anything to do with his disappearance now, do you?" said Jeannie II, feigning innocence.

"This is not like him," Jeannie replied icily. "Where is he?"

"Oh, okay ... I confess," Jeannie II replied with a girlish giggle. "I did indeed have a _LITTLE_ something to do with his disappearance."

"This is serious," said Jeannie, glaring angrily at her sister. "This is no laughing matter.

"I am going to ask you again ... Where ... _IS_ he? Where is Anthony?"

"Uh, uh, uh," Jeannie II clucked. "That would be telling." With that, she folded her arms in front of her chest, blinked, and disappeared.

* * *

"What do you _WANT_ with me?" Tony Jr. cried. He was on his knees in a deserted warehouse, his hands bound with duct tape behind his back.

"Revenge," replied Maurice in his lilting Caribbean accent. He was surrounded by several of his henchmen - all wearing three-piece suits comprised of black jackets, matching black pants and ties, and white shirts.

"What did I ever do to _YOU?_"

"You sent my brother to prison!" Maurice shouted angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tony Jr. replied. "I've never met your brother."

"You _LIE!_" With that, Maurice nodded. Two of Maurice's henchmen grabbed Tony Jr.'s arms and held them up behind his back. A third henchman kicked him in the stomach.

Tony Jr. screamed in pain.

"What's his name?" Tony Jr. inquired, wincing in pain. His chest heaved as he gasped for breath. Tears streamed down the sides of his face.

Maurice nodded once more to his henchmen. Once more, a henchman kicked Tony Jr. in the stomach. Tony Jr. yelped in pain.

"_FAISAL! FAISAL ST. GREGORY!_" Maurice barked at Tony Jr..

_Faisal … Faisal … Where have I heard that name before? _Tony Jr. thought, thinking quickly. _It sounds vaguely familiar._

"The drug dealer," said Tony Jr. finally, having now remembered the name.

"Yes," said Maurice.

"He was a drug dealer … he sent _HIMSELF _to prison," said Tony Jr., panting. "Kidnapping, drug trafficking, attempted murder …"

Maurice turned and walked away. "Soften him up," he said to his henchmen as he left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

**KEY LARGO, FLORIDA**

"Where is Anthony?" Jeannie II asked Tom - one of Maurice's henchmen - as she strode through Maurice's living room. She wore her signature green harem outfit paired with a matching green sheer silk cloak.

"Wine cellar," Tom replied. He was thirty-nine and overweight. He had wavy dark brown hair and a matching dark brown mustache.

"Where is the _wine cellar_, then?" Jeannie II asked sarcastically. "I do not come here that often."

"Towards the back, near the pool," Tom replied.

"Thank you," said Jeannie II as she made her way towards the back of the house.

"While you're there, could you put Tony in the car?" Tom asked. "Boss wants the job to go down _TONIGHT._"

Jeannie II turned back towards Tom and replied, "Of course!"

"Thanks," said Tom as Jeannie II turned back around and continued on towards the wine cellar.

_Funny how she calls him "Anthony",_ Tom thought after Jeannie II had left the room.

* * *

Jeannie II entered the wine cellar to find Tony Jr. blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a chair.

"Take off his blindfold," said Jeannie II to another one of Maurice's henchmen. The two were standing inside Maurice's wine cellar.

"Why?" the henchman inquired.

"Just _DO_ it!" Jeannie II snapped.

The henchman shrugged his shoulders and took off Tony Jr.'s blindfold. _Yes, ma'am._

"I was wondering if you would leave us alone for a while," said Jeannie II.

"Why?"

"_I_ need to check on Anthony ... and _YOU_ ask too many questions," Jeannie II shot back.

The henchman rolled his eyes and said, "I'll be standing outside the door." He then turned and left the room.

Once the henchman had left, Jeannie II went to work. She lifted up Tony Jr.'s shirt and began examining his chest.

_Bruises, shoe prints on his chest,_ Jeannie II thought as she examined his chest.

_Great Haji, he has been _TORTURED!_  
_

Jeannie II felt around Tony Jr.'s back and shoulders. "Your shoulder is dislocated," she said as she felt around his right shoulder.

_What's it to ya'?_ Tony Jr. thought as he glared angrily at Jeannie II. _Not like_ YOU'RE _going to do anything about it._

As Jeannie II continued to examine Tony Jr., she dug her fingers into his left shoulder. Her jaw set, her chest heaved, her face quivering with barely-concealed rage.

_Why is she doing this? _Tony Jr. wondered as he stared at Jeannie II's curious behavior. He was now thoroughly confused. _She's never felt this way towards me before._

Regaining her composure, Jeannie II let out a breath and licked her lips. Steadying herself with her right hand on Tony Jr.'s left shoulder, she touched his dislocated right shoulder and blinked.

Tony Jr.'s shoulder popped back into its socket!

_She's healing me, _Tony thought as one by one, Jeannie II healed his assorted cuts, bruises, and abrasions.

_What have I done to deserve _THIS_ honor?_

Once she was through, Jeannie II put Tony Jr.'s blindfold back on. Having done this, she glanced out the glass door that opened into the wine cellar, taking care not to be seen by anyone.

Seeing that the coast was clear, she stroked the back of Tony Jr.'s head and blinked. His head slumped forward onto his chest and off to one side.

"Sleep now," said Jeannie II softly as she gently caressed the back of Tony Jr.'s head. "Rest." She then bent down, kissed him tenderly on the cheek, and whispered into his ear, "I love you".

Her work complete, Jeannie II stood up, folded her arms in front of her chest, and blinked. Tony Jr. - blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a chair - disappeared.

* * *

"I put him in the black BMW," said Jeannie II to Phil and Tom. "Backseat."

"Thanks," said Phil, another one of Maurice's henchmen. "We'll be out there shortly."

Phil was forty-two and was as skinny as Tom was fat. He had curly red hair, blue eyes, and a thin, angular face.

All at once, the air was filled with the sounds of breaking glass and popping corks. Phil and Tom rushed back towards the wine cellar.

As Phil and Tom opened the door to the wine cellar, they found the floor littered with popped corks, broken wine and champagne bottles, shards of broken glass, and red and white wine pooling and mixing together on the floor. The racks were now filled to the rafters with broken, dripping wine and champagne bottles.

"How much was that collection worth again?" Tom asked.

"Quarter of a million," Phil replied solemnly.

"Oh, did I do that? My bad!" Jeannie II cackled from the living room.

Tom and Phil turned around. Jeannie II had disappeared, her disembodied evil laughter still hanging in the air.

* * *

Inside the black BMW, Tom and Phil buckled their seat belts as they prepared to leave.

As Phil put the key into the ignition, a big black panther suddenly appeared on the hood before them! With one swipe of its paw, the panther's razor-sharp claws gouged the windshield.

"_START THE ENGINE! START THE ENGINE!_" Tom screamed as the panther roared outside.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" said Phil as he frantically turned the key in the ignition. "It's not turning over!"

Tom frantically pulled a smartphone out of his pocket. The panther reached through the windshield and batted the phone out of Tom's hand!

"Where's the phone?" Tom shrieked.

"Forget the phone! Let's get outta here!" As much as Phil kept turning the key in the ignition, the engine still wouldn't start.

The panther passed through the windshield and placed its front paws on Tom's legs. The interior of the BMW was now almost completely filled by the monster.

With the push of a button, Tom pushed the back of the passenger seat down, trying to get away from the panther.

The panther leaped into the car and set its front paws onto Tom's chest, its glowing yellow eyes boring straight into him. It hissed, growled, and roared, baring its bright red tongue and gleaming sharp, white teeth.

* * *

Those ... _EYES_. Those glowing ... penetrating ... yellow eyes. Tom couldn't stop staring at them.

All at once, those eyes seemed to fill the entire car.

_Gaze into my eyes, Thomas_, cooed a soft feminine voice inside Tom's mind. _Gaze ..._ deeply _... into my eyes..._

"Who are you?" Tom gurgled. "How do you know my name?"

_My name is not important, _the voice replied soothingly, softly. _How I know what I know ... How I know about _YOU _... none of that matters now.  
_

_Phil, this car, the outside world ... they are all fading away now. Fading ... away. All that matters to you now ... __is the sound of my voice._

_All you see ... are my eyes. All you hear ... is my voice ...  
_

* * *

As quickly as the panther came, it vanished.

At long last, the BMW's engine finally started. _Thank God,_ Phil thought.

"Tom, I got the car started!" Phil announced happily.

No response from Tom.

"Tom?" Phil asked. "Tom?"

Phil unbuckled his seat belt, looked over at Tom, and gasped. Tom lay way back in the passenger seat, his left arm draped over the side of the seat, staring up at the ceiling with his mouth agape.

Tom was Deeply entranced ... Deeply hypnotized ...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

Maurice and his gang were in the middle of the Everglades. Since it was now the dry season, the normally wet, muddy swamp was now hard, dry, and cracked.

Maurice was armed with a machete - his brother's weapon of choice. Tony Jr. was on his knees - blindfolded, gagged, and with his hands bound with duct tape behind his back. Maurice's men surrounded the two of them.

"Where is Tom?" Maurice asked.

"He's in the car," Phil replied.

"Why isn't he HERE?" Maurice demanded.

"He's out," Phil replied.

" 'Out'? "Maurice inquired. "What do you mean 'out'?"

"Out … as in unconscious … as in _hypnotized._"

"_HYPNOTIZED?_" Maurice exclaimed. "By _WHO?_"

"Not 'who' … _WHAT._" Phil then added, "A black panther."

"_A BLACK PANTHER?_" Maurice cried, outraged. "Here … in _FLORIDA?_"

"Yes, Sir."

"You expect me to _BELIEVE_ this?" Maurice exclaimed. "This _RIDICULOUS _story?"

"The thing carved up the windshield of the BMW! Go see for yourself!" Phil shot back. "Cripes, this thing was _HUGE!_"

"Can't you _WAKE_ him?" Maurice exclaimed, exasperated.

"I've been trying for forty-five minutes," Phil replied. "No such luck." He then added, "Whatever did this to him … got him _GOOD._"

_I don't believe this, _Maurice thought. "Are you telling me that Tom was hypnotized by a _CAT?_"

"Yes, sir," said Phil.

"Tell me the truth," said Maurice. "He got into the wine cellar, didn't he?"

"There _IS _no more wine cellar, Boss…"

"What do you mean?"

"Jeannie trashed it the other day."

"_WHAT?_" Maurice exclaimed, now in full freak out mode.

"Jeannie trashed it …" Phil repeated.

"Jeannie? _OUR _Jeannie?"

"The very same," said Phil.

Maurice shook his head. _What _ELSE _can go wrong today? _He then turned towards the kneeling Tony Jr. _Let's get this over with._

Maurice raised his machete. "This is for my _BROTHER!_," he cried as he held the machete aloft.

As he started to bring it down onto Tony Jr.'s neck - so as to decapitate him - the blade was stopped in mid-air by an invisible wall.

Maurice hacked away at the invisible wall. Try as he could, he wasn't able to bring the blade down upon Anthony. He was now trapped inside an enchanted invisible box.

Maurice turned towards his henchmen, who were standing behind him. "What _IS _this?" he exclaimed.

"This ends here," said a female voice.

Maurice turned back around. Jeannie stood before him with her arms folded in front of her chest, wearing sneakers, blue jeans, a white blouse, and a green leather jacket.

"Who are you?" Maurice asked Jeannie.

"I am Anthony's mother," Jeannie replied. She then added, "I was about to ask _YOU_ the same question."

Tony Jr. mumbled in reply. Jeannie looked down at him and blinked. Tony Jr.'s gag and blindfold disappeared.

Tony Jr. let out a breath and said, answering Jeannie's question, "His name is Maurice. He's Faisal's brother."

"Who is Faisal?"

"The drug dealer," Tony Jr. replied, gasping for breath. "The man who kidnapped me. He and that genie Naseem … they were in cahoots together."

Jeannie turned back to face Maurice. _Ancients, how many relatives am I going to have to go through before this madness _ENDS? she thought.

"Since it seems that you are determined to walk down your brother's path," Jeannie said to Maurice. "You may now share his _FATE._"

Maurice turned back towards his henchmen. "Aren't any of you going to _DO_ something about this?" he snapped.

Maurice's men turned and ran away into the night.

"It would seem that you have your answer," said Jeannie.

"_COWARDS!" _Maurice yelled after his henchmen.

Police sirens wailed in the background. "I would not worry about your men, Maurice," said Jeannie. "I trust that the Sheriff will pick them up eventually."

* * *

"Thomas Witherspoon?" the sheriff's deputy shook Tom's shoulder, trying to rouse Tom from his trance. He was still lying in the passenger seat of the black BMW.

The now-awakened Tom blinked his eyes, shook his head, and leaned on his elbow.

"Who are you?" he asked groggily. _Where_ AM _I? _

"Monroe County Sheriff's Office," the deputy replied. "Would you mind stepping out of the car, please?"

Tom unbuckled his seat belt, opened the front passenger-side door, and got out of the car. The black BMW was now surrounded by sheriff's deputies.

"Put your hands on top of the car and spread your legs apart," said the deputy.

Tom braced himself against the car as the deputy frisked him for weapons.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"I feel so ashamed," said Tony Jr. He and Jeannie were in Tony Jr.'s bedroom.

"About what?" Jeannie inquired. Tony Jr. was sitting up in bed. Jeannie was sitting on the edge of Tony Jr.'s bed, facing him.

"I'm supposed to be a genie," said Tony Jr. "I should've been able to fight them!"

"You are also half-human," Jeannie reminded Tony Jr.

"And it almost killed me ..."

"You possess capabilities that most genies lack," said Jeannie.

"Like what?" Tony Jr. asked.

_What can _I _do that someone who can kill me just by blinking their eyes _CANNOT? he wondered.

"You broke out of a bottle," said Jeannie. "Have you any idea … how many genies would give their _eye teeth _to be able to do that? To be able to do what you did?"

"Have you any idea what it feels like to be trapped?" Tony Jr. snapped. "What it feels like to be _HELPLESS?_"

Tony Jr. stopped himself. _She was trapped in a bottle for two thousand years, _he remembered. _She was trapped in a safe one time._

"I'm sorry," said Tony Jr., apologizing. "I … forgot …"

"To answer your question … yes, I do know," Jeannie replied calmly. "I know what it is like to be trapped … to be helpless."

"I have said this before in the past," Jeannie continued. "Being a genie … is not all that it is cracked up to be.

"There is something that you keep forgetting. Powerful as I may seem to you, I am a slave to my bottle … subject to the will of whoever _OWNS _my bottle.

"I cannot stress this enough," Jeannie concluded. "Whoever owns my bottle … owns _ME._"

"That's the thing," said Tony Jr.

Jeannie looked at Tony Jr. quizzically. "I do not understand," she said.

"Do you know how it feels to want something … and yet … _NOT _want it at the same time?"

"What do you mean?" Jeannie asked.

"As much as I'd love having the powers of a genie, there's also the whole thing about being … you know …"

"Stuck in a bottle?"

"That," said Tony Jr. "and going up against … _people_ … like the Blue Jinn."

Jeannie grimaced at the memory. _Tell me about it._

"I guess … what I'm trying to say is that … I'd like to be able to hold my own in a fight."

"Anthony, leave the fighting to _me_," said Jeannie firmly. "I am a genie. This is my job. This is what I have been trained to do. This is what I have done for the past two thousand years."

"They beat me," said Tony Jr. "Look, I know you probably can't see it right now …"

"Anthony," Jeannie said quietly.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"I saw everything," Jeannie said solemnly.

Tony Jr. stared quizzically at Jeannie. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The shoe prints, the bruises on your chest … your dislocated shoulder ..."

A chill ran down Tony Jr.'s spine. "How could you?" he inquired. "The only person who could've even _POSSIBLY_ seen that … was Aunt Jeannie."

Jeannie closed her eyes, shook her head, and said, "It was _I_ … not your Aunt Jeannie … who was in that wine cellar with you that day."

Tony Jr.'s eyebrows shot upwards. "You …"

"I needed to see you … and I wanted you to see _me_," Jeannie explained. "I disguised myself as your Aunt Jeannie." She paused and then added, "It was the only way I knew how to slip past Maurice's henchmen without being detected."

"_YOU _healed me …"

Jeannie nodded her head. _Yes._

All the breath suddenly left Tony Jr.'s body. "I … I don't know what to say …"

"There is no need … for you to say anything."

"I'm … I'm speechless." Tony Jr. then added, "Thank you."

"You are welcome," said Jeannie with a shy smile. She then added, "It is getting late … and you have school tomorrow."

Tony Jr. lay down in bed and pulled the sheet over his head. "Good night," he said.

"Good night," said Jeannie as she turned off the lamp that was sitting on the nightstand next to Tony Jr.'s bed. She sat for a moment, staring at her sleeping son.

* * *

**PERSIA**

**2****nd**** CENTURY, A.D.**

_The kingdom of Hazan was at war with the kingdom of Nazar._

_Jeannie, then (unofficial) court magician to the Sultan of Hazan, entered the dungeon. She wore a green harem outfit with a green veil made of heavy silk._

_Chained to the wall before her was an enemy soldier, stripped to the waist. Two of the Sultan's royal guards stood in front of him._

"_His name is Suleiman Al-Bashir … he's a Captain in the Nazar Royal Cavalry," said one of the guards. He then added, "Maybe _YOU_ can make him talk."_

_All that was known about Jeannie at the time was that she allegedly possessed "mysterious powers" (one of which was the power to supposedly "bend men's minds to her will")._

"_Leave us," Jeannie commanded._

_The two guards left the room and closed the door behind them._

"_Who are you?" Suleiman asked. "What do you want?"_

_Jeannie waved her hand in a circle in front of Suleiman's face._

"_Sleep," said Jeannie to Suleiman._

"_What manner of trickery is this?" Suleiman demanded. His eyes followed Jeannie's hand as she waved it in front of his face._

_Jeannie blinked. "You must be tired after being out on the battlefield," she said as Suleiman began falling under her spell. "Sleep, now … Rest."_

_Suleiman stared transfixed at Jeannie's hand as she continued waving it in a circle before his face._

"_Your eyes are dilating," Jeannie said softly. "You are SO tired. So … _VERY_ … tired." She then cooed, "Sleep, now ... Rest."_

_The now-hypnotized Suleiman stared out into space, a stream of saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth._

"_Sleep, now." Suleiman's head sagged as Jeannie gently closed his eyes. "Sleep … Sleep ..."_

* * *

Jeannie got up and walked over to the doorway. She leaned against the door frame, watching over her sleeping son.

There was a time in her life when she regarded mortal men's minds as being but putty in her hands - a thing to be molded and shaped according to her pleasure.

Jeannie crossed her arms in front of her chest and cringed. _How could you_ DO _that? _ she berated herself. The whole experience of hypnotizing Tom had left a bad taste in her mouth.

_Impulse? Revenge?_

Jeannie stared at the sleeping Tony Jr.. _Would you want_ ANTHONY _doing what you just did? _she thought._ He wishes to be a genie ... what kind of genie would you have him become?_

_Assuming he truly_ _wishes to _BE_ a genie._

_It is no longer just about _YOU_ now. You have to think about Anthony._

She then turned and walked away.

* * *

Faisal St. Gregory sat on the floor of a padded cell at the Florida State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, bound in a straitjacket and rocking back-and-forth, back-and-forth inside the cell.

His brother, Maurice St. Gregory, sat on the floor of the cell next to him. Just like his brother, he made the mistake of telling the judge at his trial that a "genie" had assisted him in carrying out the kidnapping of Tony Jr.. Upon hearing this, the judge declared him mentally incompetent to stand trial - just as another judge had done previously with his brother, Faisal.

"JEANNIE!" Maurice plaintively called out to the air. "JEANNIE! _JEANNIE!_"

THE END


End file.
